Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey is welcoming the added responsibility for crime prevention as a natural fit.
Pointing out that many of the elements which caused crime were socially related, Humphrey said he was looking forward to continuing the work done by Corey Lane, who resigned as Minister in the Attorney General’s Office with responsibility for Crime Prevention.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced the change yesterday evening as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.
Humphrey commended his colleague on the work he has undertaken.
“I don’t think the public fully appreciated the amount of work that Corey would have done. Corey came from my ministry, it’s a social ministry and a lot of issues involved in crime are social issues.
“I think it is a most natural fit and I am going to look at some of the work that Corey would have done. I’m going to work closely with the Attorney General and, hopefully, we can make some improvements in that area,” he told the MIDWEEK NATION
as he exited Parliament following yesterday’s sitting which debated the Appropriation Bill, 2025.
Humphrey reiterated that the added responsibilities would not be a weight upon an already large ministry.
“We would have spent the last few years amalgamating most of the ministry.
Very soon, I’m going to announce the Social Empowerment Agency. We’re going to pass the legislation before the end of March, so that four agencies become one.
“I think once I appoint the right board and the management structures in place, it gives me a degree of freedom as well. So I think we would have done most of the heavy lifting in the ministry and I think is a natural fit, really,” he added.
Attorney General Dale Marshall also cited the natural synergy between the programme and Humphrey’s ministry due to the focus on social factors rather than law enforcement. “We consider that programme to be an important part of the Government’s effort in fighting crime,” Marshall said.
“I look forward to Minister Humphrey carrying on what was started in the Office of the Attorney General as a crucible. I believe that the sufficient foundation has been laid for his team, given the importance of the social factors as causes of crime. I look forward to his team dealing with it and helping us in the crime fighting effort.”
(JRN)
